Monothelitism Like Eugene, Vitalian tried to restore the connection with
Constantinople by making friendly advances to Emperor
Constans II and to prepare the way for the settlement of the
Monothelite controversy. He sent letters (synodica) announcing his elevation to the emperor and to
Patriarch Peter of Constantinople, who was inclined to Monothelitism. The emperor confirmed the privileges of the
Holy See as head of the Church in the West and sent to Rome a codex of the Gospels in a cover of gold richly ornamented with precious stones as a good-will gesture. Vitalian's name was entered on the
diptychs of the churches in Byzantium—the only name of a pope so entered between the pontificate of
Honorius I (d. 638) and the
Sixth Ecumenical Council of 680–81. Vitalian, alongside Peter and Constans, also played a part in the condemnation and subsequent exile of
Maximus the Confessor when they issued a joint order demanding everyone to be in communion with the Church of Constantinople. Vitalian showed reciprocity toward Constans when the latter came to Rome in 663 to spend twelve days there during a campaign against the
Lombards. On 5 July, the pope and members of the Roman clergy met the emperor at the sixth milestone and accompanied him to
St. Peter's Basilica, where the emperor offered gifts. The following Sunday, Constans went in state to St. Peter's, offered a pallium wrought with gold, and was present during the
Mass celebrated by the pope. The emperor dined with the pope on the following Saturday, attended Mass again on Sunday at St. Peter's, and after Mass took leave of the pope. On his departure Constans removed a large number of bronze artworks, including the bronze tiles from the roof of the
Pantheon, which had been dedicated to Christian worship. Vitalian sent a highly educated monk,
Theodore of Tarsus, who understood both
Latin and
Greek, to be
archbishop of Canterbury. The archiepiscopal
See of Ravenna reported directly to Rome. Archbishop
Maurus (644–71) sought to end this dependence and make his see
autocephalous. When Pope Vitalian called upon him to justify his theological views, Maurus refused to obey and declared himself independent of Rome, initiating a
schism. The pope
excommunicated him, but Maurus did not submit and excommunicated Vitalian in return. Emperor Constans II sided with the archbishop and issued an edict removing the archbishop of Ravenna from the patriarchal jurisdiction of Rome. He ordained that the former should receive the
pallium from the emperor. The successor of Maurus,
Reparatus, was consecrated in 671. It was not until the pontificate of
Leo II (682–83) that the independence of the See of Ravenna was suppressed.
Authority over Bishops in Crete Vitalian played a role in exonerating a bishop of Crete. Bishop John of Lappa had been deposed by a synod under the presidency of Metropolitan Paul. During this time Lappa, located in modern day Crete, was under the jurisdiction of Rome and was later transferred to the patriarchate of Constantinople during the iconoclasm controversy. John appealed to the pope and was imprisoned by Paul for so doing. He escaped, however, and went to Rome, where Vitalian held a synod in December 667 to investigate the matter and pronounced John guiltless. He then wrote to Paul demanding the restoration of John to his diocese and the return of the monasteries which had been unjustly taken from him. At the same time the pope directed the metropolitan to remove two deacons who had each married after consecration. ==Death and legacy==